


Drive - N7 Month Day 2

by miceenscene



Series: N7 Month 2019 [2]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Colonist (Mass Effect), Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-20 14:07:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21282962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miceenscene/pseuds/miceenscene
Summary: “What am I supposed to do now?”
Relationships: Female Shepard & David Anderson
Series: N7 Month 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533266
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	Drive - N7 Month Day 2

Lt. Commander David Anderson tapped the datapad repeatedly against the palm of his hand as he watched the floor numbers tick steadily by. Arcturus station wasn’t known for exactly speedy elevators, but today it seemed to be moving faster than usual. Perhaps only because he dreaded finally arriving.

All too soon, however, the doors opened with a quiet ding and he scooted out of the elevator as several chatty servicemen replaced him. He double checked the short message from the Ensign, sent a few hours ago. Yes, he was heading the right way. The hall down to the recreation rooms had never seemed so short.

Anderson scanned it at the front desk. He was the only person still in a dress uniform as far as he could see across the crowded space. He wandered amongst joking groups of friends, friendly rivalries, and the largest collection of weight benches outside of Sol. After several minutes, he found his target.

“Ensign Wright,” he called, walking up to the young officer leaning against the wall. She glanced his way and immediately jumped to attention, saluting.

“Sir.”

“At ease. Where is she?”

Wright pointed to a door at the far end of the hall. “In there, sir. I’ve been keeping everyone else out for now.”

“Thank you.” Anderson suppressed a sigh and headed for the door the Ensign had pointed out. He opened it and let it swing shut behind him with a solid thud.

Normally the quarter mile track was one of the busiest areas in the training center. The Ensign must have been working pretty hard to keep the room clear of everyone except one person. 

She was on the far side of the track, approaching turn three at a considerable speed. The sounds of one pair of hurried footsteps echoed through the otherwise empty room. Given the way her shirt was soaked with sweat, he could guess that she’d been running for quite some time. She rounded turn four and he could see on her face the moment she spotted him. As she reached him, she slowed to a stop. Her shoulders raised up and down with every breath she gulped.

“Jane,” he greeted with a single nod.

She didn’t reply, just watched him with those wide green eyes. She hadn’t said much of anything to anyone since they’d picked her up.

“I, uh… I have the final reports from Mindoir.” He paused, trying to judge how well she would take this blow. “I’m sorry… you’re the--the only survivor from the entire colony.”

The only sign that she’d heard him at all was a slight tightening in her jaw. Her gaze dropped to his shoes.

“The people that we found and could identify have all been buried,” Anderson continued in as gentle a tone he could. Not that any softness of voice would make what he had to tell her hurt less. “Including your… family.”

That last word seemed to echo through her. He could see it hit square between her eyes and knock her knees out from under her. He wasn’t fast enough to catch her before she’d dropped to the ground, reaching only in time to place a hand on her shoulder and kneel beside her. Even still, she didn’t scream, she didn’t sob, she didn’t cry. Perhaps it was still too big yet for something as small as tears.

He stayed beside her for how long he wasn’t quite sure--nearly an hour at least. Anything else he had to do could wait. He wasn’t a trained grief counselor, or a pediatric psychologist. But at least this poor girl needed to know that she wasn’t entirely alone in the galaxy right now.

“What am I supposed to do now?” she asked in a quiet, whispery tone. Her voice was steady yet empty.

“You use this.” He waited until she looked up at him several seconds later before he continued. “You don’t let this destroy you… you let it drive you. You take the pain and you take the heartbreak and you put some good into the galaxy to replace it when you get the chance.”

“What if I can’t?” she whispered, voice shaking a little now.

“Then it’s not your time yet. Now I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. It’ll probably be the hardest thing you ever do, but you can’t let this defeat you, Jane. You owe it to your loved ones… and you owe it to yourself.”

She nodded and a single tear rolled down her freckled cheek.

\--

“Commander Anderson!”

The plaza outside the Alliance Vancouver headquarters was absolutely thronged with people. Anderson himself was technically late for a meeting, but it was reactionary to glance around as he swore he heard someone shout his name.

“Commander!!”

He turned to see the source of the voice, a young woman with bright red hair ducking and weaving through the crowd. 

She ran up to him and quickly saluted. “Sir. I don’t know if you remember me, we met a few years ago--”

“Jane Shepard, of course.” Anderson smiled brightly and shook her hand. “How have you been?”

“Better since we last spoke.” A shadow momentarily crossed her face but she quickly banished it as soon as it arrived. “I’m Alliance now. Serviceman Recruit Shepard.”

Anderson chuckled. The very bottom of the totem pole, but she looked as proud of her rank as if she’d been made Vice Admiral. As it should be.

“I’m glad to hear it. Have you been assigned to a fleet yet?”

“Was just this morning. Fifth fleet, sir.”

“Excellent.” He leaned close and added in a conspiratorial tone. “Don’t tell the others but that is the best fleet.”

“That it is, sir.” She nodded once. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but I just wanted to thank you for your advice. It really helped me, got me to where I am today.”

“I’m happy to have helped. Listen, I have to go, but send me a message when you’re finished with bootcamp. I’d love to catch up and hear the full story.”

“I will, sir. I promise.”


End file.
